norton65ca Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 been deconverted now for around four months. If you read my initial extimony ("I was a lousy Christian"), you'll see my particular anguish, it is similar to that of many who have passed through and who remain here. Initially, it was as if the bottom fell out of my world. You are not alone in your situation, I am a 49 year old male and I admit I wept buckets and almost went into a catatonic state in the initial 24 hrs, complete and utter meltdown. I couldn't deal with the fact that everything I had held to be true for almost 30 years was completely evaporated. I feel your pain. It does get a lot better however, go outside, breathe the condemnation free air and smile ;-) Life is for living. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DollarBill Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 3DollarBill- That's true. I never knew how traumatic this would be. I probably would've avoided anything that went against my beliefs if I had known. LOL! You definitely made me feel better You're right about not being able to unsee things. When I'm feeling weak I try to believe again, but it feels weird. I don't even look at the word 'God' the same. I doubt you could have helped it. You might have been able to put it off a little longer but thats probably about it. I sure put it off for a long while, but I think that from the moment my 8-year-old brain first had the thought that "hey, what if some guy just made all this up?" the unraveling was inevitable. Part of my hang-up was that I honestly thought that all these people getting up in church and talking about what a huge difference gawd made for them were telling the truth. After all, why would they lie about it? (If only I had understood groupthink and crowd manipulation at that age!) And so I thought all I had to do was hang in there and at some point gawd would prove himself to me and everything would be good from there. Last straw was the foreign mission trip, one final act of defiance in the face of reason. I thought surely if I "spread the word" then I would come to understand it. But it turned out to be us regurgitating our doctrines to uneducated impressionable people who only showed up because we were operating a free clinic. After I got back I began to see it for what it was, stopped going to church, and it STILL took a further SIX YEARS for me to finally say, "I do not believe in god." You don't either. Hate to tell you this SL but after reading this whole thread, you are an atheist. OMFG he said the A-word! Aaack! Just say it out loud a few times and it gets less scary. And I should clear up a common misconception you seem to have... "atheist" and "agnostic" are not mutually exclusive nor are they "degrees of disbelief" as most think. Atheism refers to what you believe, agnosticism refers to what you know. I don't know what is out there in the universe, nor where it all came from, but I do reject all of the god-claims that I have heard so far. That makes me an agnostic atheist. As others have said, no reason to get hung up on labels, but I would like to add that there's no reason to be afraid of them either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLining Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. You guys helped ease my worries. Hopefully I'll stick around on this forum and learn more. I have a bad rep for sticking around forums, but I like the atmosphere of Ex-C One last thing - regarding the parent who is an xtian - you're going to have to filter out everything he says since he's speaking from a totally different reality base. And I'm being kind saying his base is reality in nature. Thanks for being so honest with your comments. Haha, I already do that I love my Father, but some of the stuff he says is just too much... With the advent of the internet, the availability of information has changed the entire game. Now everyone can easily get to the facts. Josh McDowell (a famous xian apologist) wrote an article a few months ago explaining that the internet is the greatest threat to xianity, especially with young people, because now they have equal access to both sides of the debate. If simple exposure to information is all it takes to destroy the xian house of cards, then what does that say about it? It says everything. My wife (2honest) and I were believers for more than thirty years. All it took for us to de-convert is to take one step outside of our paradigm and ask a few simple questions. We looked behind the curtain and realized no one was (ever) there. It was astonishing how fast true believers like us could completely change our minds and go against everything we ever knew. For our family, atheism/rationality has been a tremendous benefit. It has in fact made our lives better. Our marriage went from good to really great. Our relationships with our teenagers went from good to really great (They de-converted shortly after we did). Our only real loss was the loss of our xian friends, and that was their choice, not ours. It definitely hurt (we have several threads about this), but we have made more genuine friends right here in this forum that we ever had with xians. Our parents/siblings now know and it's been mostly good. In fact, there are several members of our extended families that are now starting to go through de-conversion as a result or our de-conversion. That's what always bothered me about Christianity. It seemed like we all avoided information that we knew would shake our beliefs. If what we believed in was so great... then it should've been able to withstand any threat. Aw, that's cute (sorry I'm a really cheesy person.) I've seen some of her posts and liked what she had to say. I know I will be screwed in that department too :/. My best xian friend is deeply religious and always talks about God. I can't imagine how our relationship will turn out if I tell her. I think my family will be angry and think I'm weird or an idiot. Especially, because Christianity (or just religion) seems to be deeply rooted in the Black community. I'm glad your lives improved as a result of you de-conversion. That supports my idea that this is the right path. Legion- Haha, I was just testing out the new smileys. Oh no you didn't! A kiss once given and then received can't be retracted. It's now mine, see? I have been favored, SilverLining. Now darkened clouds can't stop sun shining. Haha, okay fine. Here's another for the cute poem I'll just second what has already been said, I went through a terrible depression when I started to lose my faith, my whole world everything I lived for was falling apart, but it does get easier over time. I find that I actually enjoy life more now and am probably more loving that I was, in hindsight there's no way that I'd go back into the dark (christianity) after seeing the light, the world is a much more reasonable beautiful place when you don't have to think its corrupted from the fall and just accept life for what it is. I feel the same way. I appreciate human life and I respect others. I'm kind of happy/relieved that there aren't any demons running around or an after life. Life seems that much more beautiful. SilverLining, welcome, when I read your OP, all that you mentioned jumped out and the only thing real in there was you. All the rest is BS and you do not need it in your life. You will get over it. Living in reality is well real and no imaginations to pretend to get you through the day, when you wake up god is not there neither is there when you go to sleep, no go no demons, no devil. JUST YOU. The only things that can help or harm you are real people. The rest is all BS. That helped me a lot. I still feel like there could be demons around, but I was able to go to sleep last night without thinking something was going to 'get' me. I haven't been able to do that in so long... Rationality is finally setting in. been deconverted now for around four months. If you read my initial extimony ("I was a lousy Christian"), you'll see my particular anguish, it is similar to that of many who have passed through and who remain here. Initially, it was as if the bottom fell out of my world. You are not alone in your situation, I am a 49 year old male and I admit I wept buckets and almost went into a catatonic state in the initial 24 hrs, complete and utter meltdown. I couldn't deal with the fact that everything I had held to be true for almost 30 years was completely evaporated. I feel your pain. It does get a lot better however, go outside, breathe the condemnation free air and smile ;-) Life is for living. Wow, I just read your extimony and it was really powerful. It felt like a roller coaster. How are you doing now? I'm still having trouble dealing with 'annihalation.' Have you seen TheThinkingAtheist's video 'Afterlife' (on Youtube) that helped me a lot. http://www.ex-christ...2353-afterlife/ And, I can relate to your extimony. Diving too deep into my curiosity and research is what lead me here :/. I'm completely jealous of how you were able to travel the world! I wish I could do that. I used to want to 'feel' God in nature too, but various people in my life made it seem like that was actually worshiping nature. Your struggle with sin also brought something to my attention. I wonder why we hate sin so much, that we kind of end rejecting ourselves. I think that's really unhealthy, but a lot of religions promote the idea. Even, with things that are just natural or human nature. You have me separate from the body, sin, the world to be happy or find salvation. I think that really devalues our lives and we end up taking it for granted. I just wonder what that type of thinking will do to a person D: no wonder why so many people struggle with following their beliefs. But, from the atheist perspective our lives and the world are all we have, so we appreciate it that much more. (: Sorry /ramble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Here's another for the cute poem Thank you SilverLining. I may be gone for a while, and I think that's a good note on which to leave. Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLining Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 I doubt you could have helped it. You might have been able to put it off a little longer but thats probably about it. I sure put it off for a long while, but I think that from the moment my 8-year-old brain first had the thought that "hey, what if some guy just made all this up?" the unraveling was inevitable. Part of my hang-up was that I honestly thought that all these people getting up in church and talking about what a huge difference gawd made for them were telling the truth. After all, why would they lie about it? (If only I had understood groupthink and crowd manipulation at that age!) And so I thought all I had to do was hang in there and at some point gawd would prove himself to me and everything would be good from there. Last straw was the foreign mission trip, one final act of defiance in the face of reason. I thought surely if I "spread the word" then I would come to understand it. But it turned out to be us regurgitating our doctrines to uneducated impressionable people who only showed up because we were operating a free clinic. After I got back I began to see it for what it was, stopped going to church, and it STILL took a further SIX YEARS for me to finally say, "I do not believe in god." You don't either. Hate to tell you this SL but after reading this whole thread, you are an atheist. OMFG he said the A-word! Aaack! Just say it out loud a few times and it gets less scary. And I should clear up a common misconception you seem to have... "atheist" and "agnostic" are not mutually exclusive nor are they "degrees of disbelief" as most think. Atheism refers to what you believe, agnosticism refers to what you know. I don't know what is out there in the universe, nor where it all came from, but I do reject all of the god-claims that I have heard so far. That makes me an agnostic atheist. As others have said, no reason to get hung up on labels, but I would like to add that there's no reason to be afraid of them either. LOL! Ahh, that made my day. That's exactly how I felt when you said that. I don't know, maybe I'm in the 'denial' phase of de-converting, but I still feel something. Obviously that is quickly going away, because every time I hear/read something 'religious' someone posts on Youtube or FaceBook it sounds like cult-speak to me. I feel awful for saying that, but it's true. Soo, since I'm an official atheist are there any 'unofficial' rules I should know? Because, I'm probably still going to go to youth group or my friends' Christian summer camps. They're too fun to pass up; I'll just sleep during sermons (am I going to Hell for saying that...? I think I sealed the deal.) Alright, thanks for clearing things up for me. Here's another for the cute poem Thank you SilverLining. I may be gone for a while, and I think that's a good note on which to leave. Take care. Aw, why are you leaving? I'm new to the forum, but I hope things are okay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DollarBill Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Soo, since I'm an official atheist are there any 'unofficial' rules I should know? First step is never ever ever not in a billion years apologize for your lack of belief. Other than that, no, there's not a single thing that atheists agree on other than that we do not believe god-claims. You can even vote republican if you want, we won't revoke your A-card. (am I going to Hell for saying that...? I think I sealed the deal.) No no... let me show you how it's done: I deny the holy spirit. Now there's some fuckin blasphemy for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLining Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Soo, since I'm an official atheist are there any 'unofficial' rules I should know? First step is never ever ever not in a billion years apologize for your lack of belief. Other than that, no, there's not a single thing that atheists agree on other than that we do not believe god-claims. You can even vote republican if you want, we won't revoke your A-card. (am I going to Hell for saying that...? I think I sealed the deal.) No no... let me show you how it's done: I deny the holy spirit. Now there's some fuckin blasphemy for ya. Wow that's gutsy. I'll be praying for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Remember atheism is not a religion, its almost not even an identity, its simply a disbelief in God. The only rule of atheism is stay educated. well at least thats my rule lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblueep Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 ...I'm probably still going to go to youth group or my friends' Christian summer camps. They're too fun to pass up... My daughter still went to youth group for several weeks after de-converting. She quickly became utterly bored and could not take the BS anymore. Let your process and timeline be whatever you need them to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raoul Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 been deconverted now for around four months. If you read my initial extimony ("I was a lousy Christian"), you'll see my particular anguish, it is similar to that of many who have passed through and who remain here. Initially, it was as if the bottom fell out of my world. You are not alone in your situation, I am a 49 year old male and I admit I wept buckets and almost went into a catatonic state in the initial 24 hrs, complete and utter meltdown. I couldn't deal with the fact that everything I had held to be true for almost 30 years was completely evaporated. I feel your pain. It does get a lot better however, go outside, breathe the condemnation free air and smile ;-) Life is for living. norton65a - I went into your profile to read that article you cited (I was a Lousy Christian). Welcome to the club - so was I because I probably smelled bs from the very get go in my attempted walk. The one thing that jumped out of me in your article was the part where you said the entire concept of hell was pagan in nature and brought into Christianity in the early centuries. Thank you for taking the time to do the research required to put that info out here. I'd done a study once comparing the times hell or outer darkness or other related ideas was mentioned in the gospels. I compared it to the times the concept of heaven, everlasting life, eternal living, et. al. were mentioned. The latter outnumbers the former by 17 or 18 to 1 (I forget exactly which). Yet which idea do churches, at least the fundy kind, push the most? They major on the minors and then wonder why people are fleeing from them. Thanks again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norton65ca Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 my pleasure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahlee Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Welcome Sarah!!!! Great to have ya. To answer your question about why all these other people were having "revelations" and you weren't- I'm pretty sure nothing of the sort was happening. It is a game people play with their own mind. If they can convince themselves god is talking to them or showing them things, then god must be real right? Believing in something for which there is no tangible proof is hard work, so the mind attempts to ease this difficult process by creating illusions. Well, im no psychologist, but that's what I think is going on at least. Thanks everyone! I'm glad I have somewhere to go, for now. I always felt that maybe I wasn't as invested as everyone around me. Maybe I wasn't, so I couldn't fool myself. It made me feel left out when I was younger, like something was wrong with me. At least now I can look back and know that it wasn't me, it was everyone around me! Emotional religion is a up and down system, its biological why they feel god so strongly then they feel nothing, its called sensory adaptation. when the brain is constantly stimulated with somthing it will stop feeling it. Their religion is based in sensationalism and because of it they destroy themselves. It's really sad, to be on the outside looking in, seeing how it can be broken down. Does anyone else ask themselves how they could have fallen for this crap? I seem to be thinking that more and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Welcome SilverLining! I'll just be another one to tell you that what you are going through is totally normal. On the bright side, you are young. That's a big advantage! First of all, you haven't spent decades in xianty like I did. Second, you will have the rest of your life to REALLY live free of a myth! Stick around and make some friends. There are lots of people here, including me, that would love to help you through the process however we can. Every time I see someone your age going through this process, it makes me proud of your generation. There is no idea to rush into a label (Agnostic, Deist, Atheist, whatever). Just continue to do what you are doing, i.e. educate yourself in this subject, ask questions, and embrace the truth as you see it. Whatever you want to call yourself whenever you want to do that will come as a natural consequence. One more thing since you mentioned Job... I read the story of Job where God allowed Satan to tempt/torture Job. That didn't feel right to me... Why would God hurt a man who had already proven how much he loves God? Here's a pretty good video from DarkMatter2525 about the story of Job. It's meant to be funny but also point out the ridiculousness of it. The video is extremely funny. I was laughing hard. Does DarkMatter make more videos like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DollarBill Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 It's really sad, to be on the outside looking in, seeing how it can be broken down. Does anyone else ask themselves how they could have fallen for this crap? I seem to be thinking that more and more. You bet. But the important thing to remember: DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF. Yeah you were suckered for a while, but you're not anymore. Don't dwell on it. Instead just be thankful you ultimately saw through it. Many people never do. Religions evolve via natural selection just like different forms of life. The ones which are able to adapt survive, most die out quickly. Xtianity has been around for 2000 years in one form or another, and has spread to all continents. This fact alone tells you a great deal about the religion and its ability to win, and more importantly keep, converts. From your couple of posts I gather you were taught xtianity by your parents. Most people are, which is not a coincidence. That's by far the easiest way for a religion to grow, so it is not an accident that xtianity by its very nature compels parents to instill the same beliefs in their children. For those who aren't born into the cult, there's a whole slew of empty promises it makes. It's not mere coincidence or good storytelling that jesus supposedly healed the sick and protected the downtrodden. Life is hard, so a religion which promises to make it easier will grow. Then there's the fear aspect...and that's how they keep you. And xtianity is very good at selling fear. There's of course hell, but in addition you're told your life will fall apart if you leave the fold. They tell you god has a "special plan" just for you and you had better follow it. You bought the bullshit for so long because it's not just any bullshit...this particular variety is highly evolved and very sophisticated. BUT- you're now here, because bullshit is still bullshit no matter how attractive it appears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblueep Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Does DarkMatter make more videos like this? Yep. He has a whole channel on Youtube. Link below: http://www.youtube.com/user/darkmatter2525?feature=results_main Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 First, welcome SL. Also, just so you know, you don't have to be an atheist to be am ex-christian. If that's where your mind is taking you, so be it, but you would not be any less of a deconvert if you ended up deist, Buddhist, Sufi, Pagan, or whatever. I worship gods, and it's not out of fear. I'm an ex-christian too. You don't even have to seek out a label, just find out what you really think, beneath all the noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 It'll get easier over time, and you won't be afraid of anything anymore. You're gonna really enjoy not having to live by absurd religious rules anymore. You'll also notice a boost of self confidence I think, since you'll rely on yourself a lot more instead of religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merck Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Soo, since I'm an official atheist are there any 'unofficial' rules I should know? Because, I'm probably still going to go to youth group or my friends' Christian summer camps. They're too fun to pass up; I'll just sleep during sermons (am I going to Hell for saying that...? I think I sealed the deal.) Welcome! As far as unofficial rules, I love this quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson "The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And along the way, lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you." Also perk number 547 of being an atheist: There is no hell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLining Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 Welcome! As far as unofficial rules, I love this quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson "The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And along the way, lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you." Also perk number 547 of being an atheist: There is no hell! I love that quote. That's going straight in my Atheist Handy-Dandy Notebook. ...I'm sorry I'm so lame (: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Welcome Sarah!!!! Great to have ya. To answer your question about why all these other people were having "revelations" and you weren't- I'm pretty sure nothing of the sort was happening. It is a game people play with their own mind. If they can convince themselves god is talking to them or showing them things, then god must be real right? Believing in something for which there is no tangible proof is hard work, so the mind attempts to ease this difficult process by creating illusions. Well, im no psychologist, but that's what I think is going on at least. Thanks everyone! I'm glad I have somewhere to go, for now. I always felt that maybe I wasn't as invested as everyone around me. Maybe I wasn't, so I couldn't fool myself. It made me feel left out when I was younger, like something was wrong with me. At least now I can look back and know that it wasn't me, it was everyone around me! Emotional religion is a up and down system, its biological why they feel god so strongly then they feel nothing, its called sensory adaptation. when the brain is constantly stimulated with somthing it will stop feeling it. Their religion is based in sensationalism and because of it they destroy themselves. It's really sad, to be on the outside looking in, seeing how it can be broken down. Does anyone else ask themselves how they could have fallen for this crap? I seem to be thinking that more and more. Childhood indoctrination and group suggestion can be a powerful thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merck Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I love that quote. That's going straight in my Atheist Handy-Dandy Notebook. ...I'm sorry I'm so lame (: Lol I'm sure you wouldn't even want to be associated with me if you knew half the lame things I find interesting. In fact, I might just start compiling an atheist notebook. Also, I noticed you said your father is pretty fundamentalist. i don't know what the rest of your family believes, but you might want to be careful before "coming out" to them about your lack of belief. Many parents are ok with it, but some react every poorly. If you aren't sure, you may want to wait until you are living on your own, preferably with a job so you can be completely independent in a worst case scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLining Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 First, welcome SL. Also, just so you know, you don't have to be an atheist to be am ex-christian. If that's where your mind is taking you, so be it, but you would not be any less of a deconvert if you ended up deist, Buddhist, Sufi, Pagan, or whatever. I worship gods, and it's not out of fear. I'm an ex-christian too. You don't even have to seek out a label, just find out what you really think, beneath all the noise. Thanks for saying that (: that takes a lot of pressure off of my shoulders. I forgot that I can believe whatever I want to. That's really liberating. I'm still trying to figure out what I believe, maybe ignoring labels will help. It'll get easier over time, and you won't be afraid of anything anymore. You're gonna really enjoy not having to live by absurd religious rules anymore. You'll also notice a boost of self confidence I think, since you'll rely on yourself a lot more instead of religion. I actually am feeling more confident and enjoying life more. I'm a little scared, but its because I'm learning how to face the world without a security blanket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 First, welcome SL. Also, just so you know, you don't have to be an atheist to be am ex-christian. If that's where your mind is taking you, so be it, but you would not be any less of a deconvert if you ended up deist, Buddhist, Sufi, Pagan, or whatever. I worship gods, and it's not out of fear. I'm an ex-christian too. You don't even have to seek out a label, just find out what you really think, beneath all the noise. Thanks for saying that (: that takes a lot of pressure off of my shoulders. I forgot that I can believe whatever I want to. That's really liberating. I'm still trying to figure out what I believe, maybe ignoring labels will help. It'll get easier over time, and you won't be afraid of anything anymore. You're gonna really enjoy not having to live by absurd religious rules anymore. You'll also notice a boost of self confidence I think, since you'll rely on yourself a lot more instead of religion. I actually am feeling more confident and enjoying life more. I'm a little scared, but its because I'm learning how to face the world without a security blanket. Yea you dont haft to be an atheist to be an ex christian, on here we have pagans, buhdist, deist, agnostic, atheist and we even have a few theist like Raoul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverLining Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 Kaiser01- I'm surprised this site is so diverse. Hopefully, I'll learn something new. Lol I'm sure you wouldn't even want to be associated with me if you knew half the lame things I find interesting. In fact, I might just start compiling an atheist notebook. Also, I noticed you said your father is pretty fundamentalist. i don't know what the rest of your family believes, but you might want to be careful before "coming out" to them about your lack of belief. Many parents are ok with it, but some react every poorly. If you aren't sure, you may want to wait until you are living on your own, preferably with a job so you can be completely independent in a worst case scenario. Haha, at least I know I'm among weirdos (: Oh yeah, I definitely know not to come out to anyone in my family. My oldest sister knows I'm questioning my beliefs and my little sister would probably say, "...Okay... and?" But, that's about it. My dad does NOT like anyone arguing against his beliefs. He's actually really mean about it. Even, when I shared similar beliefs if I said anything he didn't agree with I'd get an ear full. He talks for hours, he's loud, and was on debate team. He never ends conversations :'( I think he'd be really shocked. I was more religious than he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahlee Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 You bet. But the important thing to remember: DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF. Yeah you were suckered for a while, but you're not anymore. Don't dwell on it. Instead just be thankful you ultimately saw through it. Many people never do. Religions evolve via natural selection just like different forms of life. The ones which are able to adapt survive, most die out quickly. Xtianity has been around for 2000 years in one form or another, and has spread to all continents. This fact alone tells you a great deal about the religion and its ability to win, and more importantly keep, converts. From your couple of posts I gather you were taught xtianity by your parents. Most people are, which is not a coincidence. That's by far the easiest way for a religion to grow, so it is not an accident that xtianity by its very nature compels parents to instill the same beliefs in their children. For those who aren't born into the cult, there's a whole slew of empty promises it makes. It's not mere coincidence or good storytelling that jesus supposedly healed the sick and protected the downtrodden. Life is hard, so a religion which promises to make it easier will grow. Then there's the fear aspect...and that's how they keep you. And xtianity is very good at selling fear. There's of course hell, but in addition you're told your life will fall apart if you leave the fold. They tell you god has a "special plan" just for you and you had better follow it. You bought the bullshit for so long because it's not just any bullshit...this particular variety is highly evolved and very sophisticated. BUT- you're now here, because bullshit is still bullshit no matter how attractive it appears. Wow, nailed it. I've never thought of religion in the context of evolution, but it does make it a bit more clear how xianity can still be such an infuential force while others have died out. Does that make xianity a more evolved form of Judiasm? Or is it more of a ripoff? And you were right on me being raised into xinaity. But I can make up for lost time from now on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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